What are your thoughts on a new PSU?
What are your thoughts on a new PSU?
I've been gradually improving my PC parts and now need to upgrade my power supply unit.
I'm a casual gamer who doesn't want to rush into the newest gear but still values upgrades that last.
My current hardware includes:
..
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 750D Airflow
Mobo: Asus ROG Strix X570-E
CPU: Ryzen 9 3950X
RAM: 32GB
SSD: 2TB Western Digital NVMe
Monitor: Asus ROG Strix 27in 2K 180hz, recently installed.
I managed to acquire a PNY RTX5070ti ARGB OC Edition graphics card at a reasonable price before supply problems drove up costs.
I haven't installed it yet since my PSU needs an upgrade. Right now I'm using a Corsair RM650x power supply that has worked well with my current RTX2070, which I plan to retire soon.
I've also been considering a Corsair RM1000X power supply with cables for the newer 50 series cards. However, I wasn't sure if others had better suggestions for another brand or model.
My budget for a new PSU is around $170. The minimum power rating for the 5070ti cards seems to be 750 watts, but I thought adding more capacity wouldn't hurt.
I tend to favor modular PSUs.
Thanks for any advice—I usually consult professionals before spending on computer upgrades, and your help would be appreciated.
PCPartPicker Part List
Power Supply: NZXT C1000 (2024) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($144.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $144.99
Shipping, taxes, and available discounts are included.
Generated by PCPartPicker
2026-01-26 03:56 EST-0500
This is the top PSU option under $170, offering ample space for future upgrades.
It matches the quality of RMx 2024 but at a significantly lower price.
Both models are tier A+ and considered among the best mid-range power supplies available today.
Another choice to evaluate is the PCPartPicker part list.
Power Supply: be quiet! Power Zone 2 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.90 @ B&H). Total $149.90, includes shipping, taxes, and available discounts.
Generated by PCPartPicker on 2026-01-26 05:08 EST-0500.
Reviewed by KitGuru for the latest 2025 model.
It has been a while since we tested this power supply, making today an interesting opportunity.
Visit www.kitguru.net
There's absolutely no need for a 1000w power supply unless you plan to do some fairly serious overclocking of the CPU or graphics card. None, at all. Even for moderate overclocking, an 850w unit would be acceptable. If not overclocking at all, even factoring in potential power excursions (Transient spikes), 750w should be plenty if it is a pretty good unit.
Based on both price and quality, this is pretty much the the least expensive unit with relatively good build quality and positive professional reviews that I could recommend for that configuration. Obviously if you want to spend a bit more there are some even higher quality options I could recommend, but this is a very solid unit and reviews by Aris bear this out.
PCPartPicker Part List
Power Supply:
Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($99.99 @ Best Buy)
Total:
$99.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2026-01-26 16:02 EST-0500
If you needed to absolutely shave a few dollars off that, you could probably get by with something like this, but it's not the same build quality or performance as the GF-A3. There are no professional reviews of this exact model, but the 850w model has overall good reviews and generally most PSU series use the same platform for their 750 and 850w units within the same series and model year. This basically is a newer version of the Focus GX.
PCPartPicker Part List
Power Supply:
SeaSonic CORE GX ATX 3 (2024) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total:
$89.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2026-01-26 16:11 EST-0500
1kW PSU for RTX 5070 Ti is a bit too much. You'd be safe with 850W unit. Here are few more good quality PSU options, pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compar...pg,yJkqqs/ Overall, for proper PSU for a PC with dedicated GPU, Tier A is proper. Like: Seasonic Focus/Vertex/PRIME, Corsair RMx/RMi/HXi/AXi, Super Flower Leadex Gold/Platinum/Titanium. PSU tier list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...JW...1973454078 Tier A- will do too, while Tier A+ is preferred. (My 2x PCs are solely powered by Tier A+ PSUs. I have Seasonic PRIME 650 Titanium (Tier A+) and Seasonic PRIME Ultra 650 Titanium (Tier A+) units. Specs/pics in my sig.) E.g the two Montech units i linked are Tier A. Well, 850W is Tier A- while 1050W is Tier A. Sorry, No. Mediocre quality unit, borderline low quality unit is not good enough. That's Tier B- unit. TH review: If this would be true, it also would have 10 year warranty, just like Focus GX series has. But it does not. Core GX ATX3.x has 7 year warranty, so, not equal build quality, but worse. It is a cost down version of Focus GX. Specs: https://seasonic.com/core-gx-atx-3-2024/
As mentioned before, there are no reviews for that specific model, which is 750w. The review in question applies to the 850w version. I clearly mentioned that the 750w and 850w models typically share the same platform. Even if lower capacity versions exist, or higher ones don't, this is usually the case.
1000RMX vs 850rMX 2024 costs around thirty dollars. The 1k watt model is the best value. Both options are excellent!
I really like Corsair products. The 850 offers a solid size, and I tend to stick with 1k watts. Usually I stay under 550 watts. I've found that power supplies that exceed specs can last a decade or more.
If you don't plan to go beyond 5080 watts, the 850 should be sufficient.